Apparatus for the production of true colloidal fuel



Jan. 17, 1939. E BLUMNER A 2,144,178 APPARATUS `FOR THpRonuoTloN'oF TRUECOLLOIDAL FUEL original Filed Jan. 18, '193e Patented Jan. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR THE l,PRODUCTION F 'TRUE COLLOIDAL FUEL Erwin Blmner, London, England Original `application January 18,1936, Serial No. 59,753. Divided and this application February i1, 1937, serial No. 125,329.

Q January 21, 1935 i` Claims.

` The present application is a division of appli- `cation filed on January i8, 1936, Serial`No.59,753.

This invention relates'to an apparatus for the `productionof true colloidaliuel and `W boilingpoint hydrocarbons from solid bituminous fuels, more particularly coal, and provides a plant `or an apparatus for subjecting suspensions of such `solid fuels, in pulverized state, in hydrocarbon oils to heat treatment under pressure, accompanied by mechanical trituration and grinding.`

According `to the present invention, solid bituminous fuel, such as `bituminous coal, which is gpulverized so as `to be capable of passing through a 150- to ZOO-mesh screen, is suspended in crude oil, fuel oil or other high-boiling hydrocarbon oils, and is then heated up to about 4509., under `a pressure exceeding atmospheres, under which treatment the bituminous constituents of the fuel undergo conversion between 270 and 4009 C. This change is accompanied by the formation of gas andthe `evolution of *steam and at the `same Atime the `viscosity of the mass'increases, but diminishes again as the temperature `continues to rise, and finally lfalls -to a-level that is `below that `of the original solid fuel oil suspension.

During the process the suspension 4is temporarily emulsifed, the reaction products-of the bitumen passing into-solution in the oil and even the finest pores and -channels in `the residual tion that a colloidal solution of carbonaceous `matter in oil is obtained. Bythis means bituminous fuels, such as bituminous coal, can hbe converted into the colloidal `conditionin a relatively simple manner Without high Working costs, an operation which cannot be economically effected bymechanical means alone.

A point of special importance in carrying `out the process is that the mechanical treatment of the solid fuel oil suspension should be performed simultaneously With-the progressive conversion due to the heat-treatment under pressure; firstly, in order to produce a most intimate emulsication of the carbonaceous substance With-the oil, and secondly,to effect extreme disintegration and grinding of the residual carbonaceous skeleton to colloidal neness, immediately after the emulsification phase.

Simple though the herein described-operations may seem, the phenomena of molecular conversion occurring during said processare, neverthe- "In Great Britain less, exceedingly complex. `The reaction products "of the coal bitumen, for example, are not low- -temperature `tars and, in any event, rare `comparable only with tars obtained by steam distillation in vacuo.` The `finely divided residual 4carbon dispersed in the `oil is not coke, but a carbonaceous substance-containing the ash constituents, of course- Which is comparable, to some extent, lWith `the residues from the extraction of coal, though this latter process, jbeing usually i0 performed with solvents of low `boiling point, does'not--nor can it-ever lead `to the `complete extraction `of the bitumen.

v=-In the Aiinal heating state of about 400 to @450 the solution gof bitumen in oil Awhich 1 also Acontains the colloidal carbonaceous matter iissubjected 4to la moderate cracking treatment, accompanied `by continuous trituration. "During this treatment, as yet unidentified molecular reactions `and Vmigration `of hydrogen between the l oilland thecoalhydrocarbons occur. It hasbeen t ascertained that the bituminous matter 'in coal `for example, furnishes considerably larger yields of benzine when treated in accordance With the present invention than when treated by itself, ,l even when allowance is naturally made for the benzine attributable to `the `oil vehicle itself.

The apparatus designed for carrying out the `irriproved process is illustrated diagrammatically and by Way `of example -in `the accompanying t drawing iii-Which- Figure A1 is a diagrammatic view of the appauratus, certain portions being shown in vertical section andother portions in side elevation.

lFigureZeisa'horizontal sectional view upon an ,l renlargedscale taken horizontallythrough afragment of vone of `the vertical cylinders of the apparatus. r@Figure `3 is a `sectionalview taken vertically through `the upper portion of` one of the intermediate cylinders `and lillustrating the construction of-one=ofthe float controlled needle valves.

On the drawing, l denotes a `storage vessel or receptacle for the-coal-oildsuspension Which enters into Athe vessel I through a tube la and which lis pumped by means lof a `high-pressure pump .-2 from thevessel `I land-through pipes 3 and :4 `into theserpentine tube 4a intheinteror of a heat-exchangerfifrom which said suspension passesthrough a pipe` into a-vertical cylindrical heating vessel la in Whichfthe suspension lis heated to about 100 C. There are a ,plura1ity of such `vessels (six `inthe example shown, viz 1a, 11b, `1c, 11d, lle, tlf) assembled `a Amasonry- 4furnace #8 "having flues `'8a in which said vessels are located and through which heating gases,

not heated by hot gases.

may be furnace gases or Waste gases, (for example coming from the gas-tube 28a) are conducted so as to heat the said vessels to about the temperature stated. All vessels I are of equal construction. Each comprises, besides the vessel 'I proper, a cylindrical rotary insertion 9 lling the `vessel to such an extentthat only a narrow tubular passage I remains through which the suspension must pass. firmly connected with an upper shaft I2 turned by any suitable means so as to rotate in turn the insertion.

The tubular space or passage between the stationary vessel 'la and the rotary insertion 9 is subdivided into `a plurality of parallel compartments, say six, by vertical members II (Fig. 2) of about shoe-like transverse section which contact with the inner surface of the respective vessel 'I and are secured to elastic strips I3 The vsuspension forced through the sage, and owing to the suitably chosen shape of `the members II the particles Vcontained in the suspension are very finely triturated.

` I4`denotes a foot-bearing for the rotary insertion 9. There is, of course, provided'a foot bearing I4 'for every insertion. Between each two lvessels 'I islocated in the furnace 8 a narrow cylinder I6, the upper end of whichis connected with one of the adjacent vessels 'Ia by means of a bent pipe I5 by which 'the contents of the vessels 'Ia treated therein is conducted into Athe'second vessel (1b). The cylvinder I6` is not located in a flue and, therefore,

I The cylinder I6 rejceives the entire vcontents of the vessel "Ia, i. e., theliquid,the vapor and the gas, which components of the suspension are separated in the said cylinder.

ln'each cylinder I6Y is a long vertical float Il ,connectedat its upper end withan outer automati'cally acting needle valve I8 regulating the lhei'ght 'of the level in the respective cylinder, independent of the pressure in the cylinder. If

the formationfof gasY increases and, therefore, theV .level of the liquid in the cylinder is forced downwardly belowr a certain normal height, the float I'I moves downwardly withthe liquid and the head of the needle valve will be moved off of the 'valve' seat IB'a tothe opened position shown 'in Figure 3, whereupon the gas and the vapor escape into a pipe I 9 through which they pass to an expansion vessel 20. When then the liquid in the cylinder I6 again rises, the float `I'I is `lifted'byl it Vand the'valve I8 is closed.

It is a very important condition and a high advantage of my new apparatus, that there comes gas free coal-oil :duid only from one heated cylinder I to the next one over the cylinders I 6 through the pipes I and 2|. l

All cylinders IB vare connected up in parallel to theY vessel 2|), but the vessels 'I (1a-1f) are vconnected up in series, and the last of these `vessels (1f), is connected with the vessel 20 by the intermediary of the last cylinder I6 and by a pipe 2,2k extending into the vessel 20 through the bottom thereof to aboutthe middle portion of said vessel where it is attached to a so-called .expansion colloidal mill comprising a stationary disk 23 frmlyconnected with the pipe 22, and a rotary Ydisl; 24 connected with a vertical shaft @inlay whichfit is rotated. The two disks are Each insertion 9 is'VY vdistillation column 28.

polished and are made of a specially selected kind of steel. The shaft 25 is provided with a. weight 26 so as to exert a corresponding pressure upon the shaft 25, or upon the two disks 23 and 24 and the composition entering between them and being acted on between them. 'I'he object of said weight is mainly to maintain the pressure in the system, Vor to regulate the pressure exerted by the pump 2. The supply of heat to the heating chambers in the masonry-furnace 8 is so regulated that the highest heat is in the first flue (8a) and the lowest temperature is in the last flue containing the vessel 1f. Owing to a certain reduction of pressure in the mill 23, 24 another fall of temperature takes place in the chamber or vessel 20, the final temperature of the product being about 260 C., whereas the initial temperature amounted to 450 C.

All hydrocarbons evaporating below 260 C. distill through the pipe 2'I into the fractional The benzines are withdrawn through the pipe 29 and arecondensed .in the condenser 30, wherefrom the condensed benzine is conducted through the pipe 3I into a separator 32 in which water and gas are separated from the benzine, and from which the benzine flows through the tube 32h to a not shown benzine storage vessel and the water is conducted away through the tube 32e, as indicated. The gas-tube 32a is connected with the gas-tube 28a of the distillation column 28 of the plant.

'I'he hot, true colloidal fuel collecting on the bottom of the vessel 20 passes through a pipe 33' into the heat-exchanger 5 containing the serpentine tube 4a and flows from the heat-exchanger 5, through a pipe 34 into a collecting tank (not shown).

I claim:

n V1. In an apparatus of the character described a furnace having a ,series of vertical heating lchambers spaced transversely from each other a gas separating chamber, and pressure convtrolled valves in saidV separating chambers for Vcontrolling escape of gas through the branch rpipes adjusted to be opened by pressure of accumulated gas in the separating chambers.

` 2. The structure of claim 1 wherein each insert is of cylindrical formation and carries longitudinally extending partitions dividing the annular space about the insert into a plurality of longitudinally extending sections and moving with the rotary insert to impart whirling motion to fluid flowing through the said space.

, 3. 'Ihe structure of claim 1 wherein each insert is of cylindrical formation, partitioning strips extending longitudinally through space between the yinsert and walls of the heating chambers and .dividing the space into sections, and resilient mounting members for saidstrips fixed to the insert and yieldably holding the strips against .walls of the chambers.

..4. .The structure of claim 1 wherein partitions are provided between each expansion chamber and the cooperating branch pipes of the gas main and each formed with a passage produced by a valve seat and a float in each expansion chamber having a stem extending upwardly therefrom and carrying a valve head for seating against the valve seat of the cooperating partition to confine uid in the expansion chamber, pressure of gas in the said chamber being adapted to depress the oat and move the valve to an open position.

ERWIN BLMNER. 

